We have a new member of our KK team to welcome – Ellen DeLisio, our new product project manager. Replacing Andrea, who is settling down in LA as we speak getting ready for the next chapter in her life, Ellen will be taking over the product development arena. We are sad to see Andrea go, but we are lucky to have Ellen as part of the team now! Ellen grew up in a small town near Boston and actually went to school out there as well at a small arts college to study fashion design.

Curious to know how she got into the apparel industry and where her passion stems from, we asked when she got into the fashion world and how she knew it was what she wanted to do after school. Ellen told us that she started sewing in high school while participating in her town’s youth service club called Keep It Wild. This club had annual fashion shows that Ellen took part in for two years and during her senior year she created a collection based on Alice in Wonderland with her best friend. After being a part of those events, Ellen knew right away that fashion was her calling and she decided to go to school to study fashion design so she could confidently go into the industry afterwards.

Being from Boston and going to school there, we weren’t too surprised on her decision to come out to Colorado but still wanted to know why. “Colorado is what made me come here. Just the mountains being right where you are and going from a small city to a mountain town within steps is amazing to me”. That being said, we wanted to know what she loves most about being in Colorado now that she has settled in, and she said that the mountains will never get old for her. Ellen climbs and had started climbing right before she came to Boulder. Now that she is able to go and do the real thing, she is very grateful.

Though she loves being in Colorado and takes advantage of everything it has to offer, Ellen also loves to travel. Her favorite place to go is South America, specifically Guatemala. “The culture is so interesting and colorful there. They also have amazing mountains”, Ellen said explaining her love for the destination. She is inspired by places she goes and people she surrounds herself with but, specifically, she is inspired by her mom. Ellen’s mom is hard working and made Ellen into the focused and driven woman she is today. Her mom is also a traveling connoisseur, she is a flight attendant, so they share that special love together. “She is pretty classic. It’s funny because she claims that she isn’t trendy or on top of what is the new thing, but she is usually the first one to come out with the trends. She seems to be really hitting the trends before anyone else is, which always inspires and impresses me”, Ellen said about her mother.

On the other hand, when it comes to people that Ellen hopes to inspire herself, she doesn’t have anyone too specific. She hopes to be able to inspire and be a role model for younger women everywhere. She wants to be able to show that your path doesn’t always end up how you imagined it and wherever you are now, is where you’re supposed to be. Ellen really hopes to get that message across in things she does and is confident saying that whatever happens will happen for a reason and that you just need to go with the flow sometimes, as hard as that can be.

All of that aside, the most important thing we needed to know was what her superpower would be if she could choose any. “I would have to say flying; I have flown in my dreams before and it is so thrilling and I want to feel that in real life” Good choice Ellen; we approve. Besides someday being able to fly, Ellen has a passion for ultimate Frisbee and plays with a group on a weekly basis. Of course I had to ask her to explain the sport to me a bit, but it’s just like football and sounds like a heck of a good time (and workout). She also loves to cook and try new recipes whenever she can. She makes her own almond milk and has just recently started making her own kombucha as well; definitely the signs of a creative and motivated mind. Ellen hiking Maroon Bells

On that note, we wanted to dive into what she is most excited about when it comes to working for Krimson Klover and being a part of the team. “I’m super excited about knits. I see so many interesting pieces being designed for Spring ’19 and some interesting [knit] techniques as well. The possibilities with the colors, materials and unique designs are getting me very excited”.

I had to ask Ellen how she lives up to Krimson Klover’s motto, “Live Boldly”. Ellen lives boldly by having strong opinions about her ways of life, decisions that she makes and lifestyles she chooses to live. “I stay true to how I choose to think and go about my life and don’t see myself ever changing those opinions”. Strong women are who we at Krimson Klover aim to inspire and create with; Ellen is going to fit in great here and we can’t wait to start creating with the new addition to our KK family.

Peyton's Road To Recovery

On April 28th, 2016 (Peyton's 16th Birthday), she was diagnosed with High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer with metastasis throughout her lungs and abdominal cavity. She had not been feeling well for 6 months leading up to diagnosis, but with every appointment, was told she had just had abnormally large ovarian cysts. She started sleeping 12 - 18 hours a day, had no appetite, no drive, little nodules started appearing on her ribs and diaphragm, and finally, it looked like she was 5 months pregnant from all the swelling in her abdominal cavity.

At this point, she and I both knew that something was really, really wrong so we went straight to the ER at Children's Hospital as I knew that if anyone, they would take the time to figure out what was wrong.

After an ultrasound and CT scan, we were delivered the news that it was cancer and that it didn't look good. She was immediately admitted to the oncology floor of Children's, with a biopsy scheduled the next day. When the results came back as Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer, Children's Hospital knew that although they could effectively treat Peyton, her best chance was across the street at UC Health with Dr. Saketh Guntupalli, one of the leading GYN oncologists nationwide. We first met with him on Monday, May 2, she had a liter of fluid drained off her lungs on May 3, her port installed on May 4, and chemo started on May 5. Quite the busy week.

Given her age and severity of the metastasis, Dr. G wanted Peyton to go through 3 rounds of chemo to try and kill off as much of the tumor as possible before surgery. Chemo is hard for grown adults, and her regimen proved very taxing for her body. She suffered a collapsed lung, was hospitalized for 3 days, and put on oxygen full time. She never fully recovered, as weeks later, on June 13th, was re-admitted to the hospital, this time for a small bowel obstruction. Surgery to remove the tumors had already been scheduled for July 5, but Dr. G knew that her bowels could not be safely operated on this early as she still needed more chemo.

She is such an inspiration!

An NG tube was inserted to draw out all food, liquid, and stomach bile that had been building up in her intestines with the hopes that releasing the pressure would "unkink" her bowels. Unfortunately this did not happen as there were too many tumors surrounding her intestines so she stayed admitted with the NG tube inserted until surgery. One thing to note is that with a small bowel obstruction and the NG tube, Peyton could not eat or drink anything. She was given food and liquids via IV and as a mother, might have been one of the hardest things to watch. Throughout it all, she remained strong, never complained, never cried, and quickly became the favorite patient on the oncology floor during her 6 week stay!!

Surgery finally happened on July 5th and was very successful. Peyton wound up having a full hysterectomy, 8 inches of her colon resected and sewn back together again, her spleen and all lymph nodes in her abdominal cavity removed, and every spot of visible cancer on every other organ removed. She stayed hospitalized for 2 weeks of recuperation and was able to sleep in her bed again before chemo started again.

It's been a long road, but her body has responded extremely well to chemo, her labs and blood counts look great, and Dr. G couldn't be happier with her progress. Even he calls her a miracle!!!!!!! Our goal is to get in into remission and keep her there as long as possible, as Ovarian Cancer has a high percentage of reoccurrence, especially in Peyton's case given her initial metastasis. She has started going back to school for 2 classes, with getting home tutoring for the rest of her classes, going to Homecoming, hanging out with her friends, and looking forward to traveling over the holidays.

Krimson Klover is very excited to help Peyton and spread awareness on her behalf. She has a very inspirational story and is an astonishing girl. During the month of October, 10% of ALL sales will be sent to Peyton to help with her treatment. Now it’s your turn! How do you help?? Show your support by shopping away.

Open House

The Krimson Klover team along with the ladies at What's Up PR have joined forces to spread the KK sweater love. We threw a little party this week in our Boulder office and invited some folks in the area who we thought would appreciate the work we've been doing both in fashion and in giving back to the causes that are near and dear to us.

We spruced up the joint in anticipation of a fun-filled evening at KK Headquarters.

Boulder is home to Krimson Klover

Krimson Klover has called Boulder home for two years now, but since we are tucked away in a remote part of Pearl Street we had yet to meet our neighbors.

That all changed this week!

Greeting Guests

As our guests arrived, River, our CEO of all things cute and cuddly, was ready to greet them at the door.

Our Showroom

Our showroom was decked out in our upcoming Fall '15 collection. We had a variety of goodies on display as well as a small gift for everyone who attended. Spring '16 had just arrived so as an added bonus we were able to give a sneak peek of what will be in stores next spring.

Rhonda Swenson (left), Krimson Klover founder and lead designer, got a chance to show off both the Fall '15 collection. With its vintage ski inspired patterns and the new Spring '16 collection with its emphasis on hand painted pieces. We love getting people's reactions to new collections and judging from the feedback we received, the upcoming seasons are sure to be a big hit with our customers.

Rachel Hadley, KK's marketing director and Beth Cochran from What's Up PR introduced our guests to the Krimson Klover brand. Later Rhonda, our fearless leader spoke about the future of Krimson Klover. This was a great opportunity to convey our brand, our business and our passion for empowering women.

The KK Team suited up in some of our favorite pieces for Spring '16.

The party was a huge success! A big thanks to everyone who came to show their support. We're really excited about growing our community and our outreach. We believe it starts with cultivating the relationships in our own backyard. Here's to many more events in the future!

Spring is finally here!!! Although there may still be snow on the ground wherever you are, that won't stop you from daydreaming of warm breezes, bare legs, flirty dresses and just the right outfit for those balmy nights.

Here at Krimson Klover, we use Pinterest to find inspiration and discover new styles from all over the web. Pinterest is probably not a new discovery for you, but let me introduce you to the Krimson Klover Pinterst Page. We're pinning original content from fashion to travel, and music to lifestyle and a whole lot of beautiful distraction in between.

Please click on the board above to follow Krimson Klover on Pinterest! We invite you to curl up in a cozy spot and while you wait for the white stuff to melt away, get lost in the daydream that is your own Pinterest adventure. Gone are the winter days where we plan our revival, spring is here at last - let's put those plans into action!